Watch Me Unfold
by Dirgni19
Summary: The Doctor and Martha come clean. A story that follows their relationship, spanning the entirety of S4 and beyond.
1. Reasons

Setting the coordinates for his escape with one hand, the Doctor leans on the console and winces, hugging his right arm to his chest while trying to relieve his twisted ankle of his body weight. Cronies of the Cypron high priest continue to pound on the door shrieking with rage, hoping to infiltrate the TARDIS and capture the Doctor**,** but he has already closed down the gravitic anomilizer, fired up the helmic regulator, and released the handbrake, taking the TARDIS into the vortex.

He had found himself in the midst of a civil war—the Cypron high priest had usurped the throne causing discord and oppression amongst the population for years. Infuriated, the Doctor had taken the side of the rebels and led them to victory, though there were still some citizens that remain loyal to the tyrannical regime. He had survived but not without any injuries -- the Doctor had sustained numerous wounds and a broken arm**,** which he now had to set by himself.

Once the TARDIS reaches the vortex, the Doctor collapses on to the captain's chair, breathing heavily. He assesses the damages to himself -- the Doctor knows that as injuries go, the ones he has now are nothing compared to some he has sustained in the past. If they are not life-threatening enough to need serious medical attention, he probably shouldn't call for help. He touches his breast pocket where Martha's phone is pressed near his left heart. If he were really honest with himself (when was he ever?), he would know that his wounds aren't the only reason why he wants to hear her voice. The Doctor fights the sudden urge to call her. To ask Martha to come back simply because he misses her is selfish and brash—how can he do that to the person who suffered so much more than bleeding gashes or broken bones during that Year of hellish wandering? He vows that when he calls, it will be for the very best of reasons, and he knows that he has yet to figure out what those are. The Doctor grits his teeth and begins to limp his way to the med bay to tend to his wounds, wishing the entire time that another doctor, _his_ doctor, could tend to them instead.


	2. An End Has A Start

Martha is slumped on the hospital floor weeping into her hands. She had just witnessed the death of one of her patients -- Mr. Adams was 73 years old when he breathed his last**,** and the finality of the circumstance devastates her. Despite Martha's efforts to prevent his cancer from spreading, the illness had advanced past her expertise and she had lost him. For months, Martha had been confident that the cancer would recede and Mr. Adams would recover, but try as she might to find new ways to curb the spread, the cancer overwhelmed his system. Martha Jones had been reminded once again of one of the toughest lessons every doctor learns: that sometimes, no matter how hard you try, your best isn't good enough.

Left with no living relative to care for him, Martha had taken it upon herself to see to his needs up to the very day of his passing, visiting him every morning before her shift began and in between her other hospital duties before she went home. His wife had died a few months before he was confined at the Royal Hope, and seeing him helpless, alone and distressed reminded her all too much of the way the Doctor had looked when she had set off to accomplish her mission of telling his story.

_Professor Docherty was repairing her television set when Martha and Tom Milligan found her. Too busy to pay much attention to her visitors, the professor hurriedly explained to them that the Master was due to broadcast a message that night. It turned out that Martha Jones was its intended recipient. Focusing on the static screen with Professor Docherty and Tom Milligan on either side of her, Martha watched with a stoic expression as the Master aged her Time Lord in front of her very eyes. Emotions warred within her tiny frame; anger, fear and shock mingled and travelled through her veins, almost making her faint from the sheer intensity of her feelings. But she kept looking at the screen until the very last glimpse of the Doctor was cut abruptly and the screen turned black. Despite what she had witnessed, relief overwhelmed her, making her smile for the first time in months. Because after everything, she can only think of one thing: he's alive. On the eve of war when everything is at stake, Martha's world seemed to fall into place again. The Doctor is alive, and she is coming back to him. _

Faith and hope -- she remembers how the Master scoffed at those two words while she was kneeling before him, waiting to be killed. But it was faith and hope that helped her survive the year that never was, and it is faith and hope that will push her forward in this life she has chosen to live. She might not always get it right, she may lose many battles, but she will never give up fighting. As she sits outside the room where Mr. Adams had stayed, she allows herself to grieve for the man she knew. When her tears subside, she dries her eyes and stands, squaring her shoulders. _When one life ends, another begins_ – Martha reminds herself. She touches the nameplate on the door, whispering her goodbye to dear friends, to old lives, then walks away to begin again.


	3. Moving On

"_Still on your own?"_

"_Yup. Well, no. I had this friend Martha. Martha Jones she was called. She was brilliant… And I destroyed half her life. But she's fine. She's good. She's gone." _

The Doctor sat in the TARDIS with his legs up on the edge of the console, thinking back to the events of the day while Donna rested in a room that the TARDIS had arranged for her. Bumping into Donna at Adipose Industries and ultimately having her join him as his current traveling companion, he thought that the day had ended brilliantly. He has someone to travel with him again, to see the universe at his side. More importantly, he wasn't alone anymore.

For several weeks after Martha had left, he thought he would be fine by himself, ready for the next adventure without her there. But there were times when, in excitement at discovering something new or solving a rather complicated problem, the Doctor would ramble endlessly only to look up from what he was doing and see no one was there.

He conjures up an image of Martha's face in his mind, examining, losing himself in memories. His brilliant Martha Jones, off somewhere doing something brilliant, as she had often done in the past when she was still with him. Only he didn't realize that until it was too late and she had walked out of the TARDIS, a broken human. Donna had asked what became of her, and he told her, in so many words, why Martha had left. The guilt of having done wrong by Martha will always linger, playing in his mind like a nightmare in slow motion, repeating, never ceasing. Someday he will have the courage to say all that he had said to Donna to the very person who deserves to hear it herself.

"_That Martha must've done you good."_

"_Yeah she did. Yeah, yeah, she did. She fancied me." _

"_Mad Martha, that one. Blind Martha. Charity Martha." _

He knew Donna was right. Martha must have been a little bit mad or blind**,** to fall for a man like him. An alien, really; he was only ever a man once. The Doctor looks back at their time together in 1913 when she confessed to John Smith that she loved him, the Doctor who was hidden inside of him. Even when he opened the fob watch and regained his Time Lord consciousness, a part of John Smith remained with him and remembered (or absolutely refused to forget) those words that Martha had uttered. Had she meant it then? She had said outright that she loved him, hadn't she? Yet, when they were due to leave Farringham, she had retracted her words saying that she would have said anything to get him back. He had taken pleasure in knowing that she had feelings for him, but not wanting to reveal this fact to her, the Doctor chose to act indifferently towards her ever since. _Time we moved_ on, he said. But he's not entirely certain that he has.


	4. Reunion

The Sontarans caused considerable damage to the surrounding areas of London that Martha and her team of UNIT soldiers set out to contain. While giving her orders and seeing to the injured, she takes a minute to savor the feeling of being wrapped with the Doctor's coat. He had given it to her when he and Donna had found her in the Sontarans' temporary encampment fettered and trembling in a drafty room. The Doctor had used his sonic screwdriver on the lock chaining her to the wall before wrapping her in a fierce hug—they only had seconds to say their hellos. Along with Donna, the Doctor helped Martha make her way back to her UNIT crew before they temporarily separated to deal with the Sontarans in their own way.

In the aftermath, Martha mulls over the day's events as she stretches her arms downwards and laughs to herself. She must look ridiculous to her troops, what with the sleeves of the coat sagging a few inches past her fingers, but she doesn't care. _Don't do this Martha_, she chides herself. _You have gotten over this silly infatuation with the Doctor._ _But is it, and have you?_ In the past year and a half she had busied herself with passing her exams, getting certified and working for the Royal Hope, and now UNIT. She even travelled to Cardiff to help Jack and his Torchwood team deal with the mayflies at The Pharm. She realizes belatedly that she did all of that not just to continue where she had left off before travelling with the Doctor, but also to put her feelings for him out of her mind. But with his reappearance all the lines she had once drawn are now becoming blurred, and Martha's unsure of what her true feelings are anymore. Disconcerted by her thoughts, Martha shivers and begins to walk away when she hears a familiar voice calling out to her from down the hill.

"Nice coat you have there, Ms. Jones. It suits you."

Martha turns around to see the Doctor walking towards her with his hands in his trouser pockets, smiling widely in her direction.

"Be careful, Mr. Smith, I might just have to take this home with me. The additional storage space would come in handy. By the way, good job out there."

Martha replies with an identical grin as the Doctor reaches the top of the hill where she stood facing him.

"What can I say, we make a good team." He gazes down at her, delight clearly written on his face.

"Thank you for answering my call. I was afraid you might've lost my phone with all the running around you do," Martha said, drawing circles in the air with her finger.

The Doctor pats his suit jacket. "Impossible! I keep it safe right here. But next time, a call for a cup of tea would be much better."

She chuckles in response as she shrugs off the Doctor's coat and hands it back to him, "I'll keep that in mind. So, Doctor, how have you been?"

"Good, good. The usual, getting into trouble. Getting out of trouble. Pompeii, the Ood, Fat babies. Imagine, Martha, babies made out of fat! Donna seems to enjoy it. Some of the time. The other half she enjoys shouting at me."

"I like her already," Martha teases.

"Oi!" He yelps, feigning offence. Their laughter subsides and the Doctor moves closer, taking Martha's hand and says quietly, "Well Martha Jones, how have you been?"

"Busy. Royal Hope. UNIT. Spent a bit of time at Torchwood, actually. Jack sends his love. The family's great, Tish helps out at the office, Leo's happy, mum and dad are sickeningly sweet**,** but I'll live," Martha rambles, trying to ignore the Doctor's close proximity to her.

"Good to hear." He closes the gap between them and hugs Martha.

"I missed you."

Surprised at this unexpected move, Martha looks up at the Doctor**,** whose voice has suddenly lowered to almost a whisper, but just as suddenly changes to a high-pitched and jovial tone, baffling her further.

"So, fancy a trip in the TARDIS for old time's sake, Doctor Jones?"

Martha pulls back and shakes her head slowly, "Doctor, I'd love to but I can't. That 'one trip' thing didn't work out as planned last time. Besides, I can't leave right now, you understand." The Doctor stares at the ground, shuffling his feet as he puts his hands back in his pockets, "Yeah, yeah of course. Yeah. Alright. Well, we better go, you know, things to do, places to see."

"Aliens to annoy."

"Oi!"

Martha snickers at his reaction before hugging the Doctor once more, "Thank you again, Mr. Smith."

The Doctor gently releases her as he fixes his eyes on his once-Companion, "You are most welcome. Take care of yourself, eh?"

"I will. You too." As an afterthought Martha adds, "And Doctor, take Donna to some place nice and disaster-free for your next trip."

"I'll remember that. Thank you, Martha**,**" the Doctor murmurs.

"For what?"

"For everything."

Martha looks at the Doctor, knowing what he means without him saying the words. She stares into his eyes and remembers how filled with excitement they had been when she first met him on the moon, but now she notices that his eyes have become a deeper shade of amber-- older, more tired, more vulnerable. _How can a man so young have eyes so old_? She knows how, and why. It happened to her too. Martha senses that the Doctor's remark has changed something significant between them, but not knowing how to interpret it, she chooses to reply in the only way she has known to do.

"Don't mention it."

"And I'm sorry too."

She quirks an eyebrow at him. "You're sorry?"

He nods. "I'm sorry for ruining half your life, I –"

She interrupts. "Don't be melodramatic! You didn't ruin half my life. I had a hellish year, but we had some good times too." She pokes a finger into his chest. "Try looking on the bright side occasionally, yeah?"

A slow smile spreads across his face. "Doctor's orders?"

She grins up at him. "Doctor's orders," she agrees.

As the Doctor walks down to where Donna stands waving at them in front of the TARDIS, Martha shouts down to him, "Hey Doctor, take care of that phone, I may want you to come running my way again sometime."

With a lopsided grin, the Doctor turns around to face her one last time.

"For you Martha Jones, I'll always come running."


	5. Release

_He had been delirious with pain, trapped in that void for what felt like eternity, and when he found himself sprawled on an empty street on Earth with Rose staring down at him, the Doctor thought he had died and had found her at last. Finally, release. Yet, he couldn't believe it, he refused to believe it. Past the golden hair and the haunting blue eyes, he sees only bronze skin and soft lips pressed on his own, giving him breath on the moon. He holds on to Rose's ghost, happy to know that if this is his last day on Earth, the person he had lost he had found again, though the one his hearts yearn for is still gone. Before he lost consciousness, he said his goodbyes to his beautiful Rose. But only one name did he repeat over and over until sleep took him, or death, he wasn't sure, and didn't care. _


	6. Returning the Favor

"Martha. You're here."

The Doctor's ragged breaths are barely audible, his fluttering eyes trying to focus on Martha's worried face.

"Yes I am. You were asking for me, so I'm here. Rose and Sarah Jane contacted me through the UNIT channels, Jack and Donna are looking for them; they'll all be here soon. It's alright Doctor you'll be okay, I've got you."

Martha gently lifts the Doctor's head unto her lap, placing her free hand underneath his jacket, feeling his hearts beating rapidly. Martha knows that if she does not get the Doctor back to the TARDIS, it won't be long until she's looking into a stranger's face, a different Doctor, not hers.

"Martha, I don't think I'll make it. I may have to regenerate." Sweat runs down the Doctor's pale face, pooling under his chin. Martha shakes her head and replies sharply, "Don't be daft! You've been through far worse than this. Remember That Year? And the sentient sun? I said I'll save you and I did. You're not leaving me now."

The Doctor's gasps for air cut off his laughter. He winces and grabs her left hand before murmuring, "I seem to make a habit of needing you to save me." His skin was hot to the touch.

"Frequent flyer's privilege. Just returning the favor, Doctor."

"Martha. If I don't get to say it later on, when I'm -- different. I never said. You have to know."

Tears sting Martha's eyes. She squeezes his trembling hand and says softly, "It's alright Doctor. You don't have to say anything. I know."


	7. Forever Everyday

_Metasigmafolio: Two months later, Earth time._

Martha had been asleep in her old room when she felt the TARDIS mentally nudging her to wake up and look for the Doctor. Martha got to her feet and changed into a pair of jeans and a t-shirt before putting on her favorite leather jacket, then set off to search for him, surprised that they had left the Vortex and landed on some alien planet but the Doctor hadn't told her. Then again, there are a lot of things he does lately without telling her about them. Ever since he had landed the TARDIS in her living room a few weeks after they had parted ways and had asked her to travel with him again (after an hour's deliberation, she said yes), their relationship had reached a level of openness that they never had before, but there are instances, such as now, when he would go off wandering alone, lost in his thoughts. Saying goodbye to Rose so shortly after having her back left the Doctor subdued, but not miserable – if anything, it had helped him overcome his grief of losing her by seeing that Rose had grown into her own, living the fantastic life he had asked her to live all those years ago. Martha knows that given time, the Doctor will be back to his adventure-seeking ways, but for now she understands that there are things he'd rather keep to himself, and Martha willingly gives him the space he may need especially after Rose's return and his experiences in the void.

Martha ceases her musings as she steps out of the TARDIS and into the cold night air, locking the door behind her with a soft click. The wind nips at her exposed neck making her shiver and wrap her arms around herself before sighting the Doctor standing by the edge of the coast, watching the bursts of star fire in the sky. She makes her way to the Doctor's side -- he had been outside for at least an hour before Martha realized that he had disappeared from inside the ship. The Doctor remains immobile, but Martha knows that he heard her footsteps on the gravel, and together they watch the black expanse fill up with swirls of color. Shades of purple and pink illuminate their faces, and after several minutes of companionable silence the Doctor looks at Martha, briefly, before setting his sights back to the horizon.

"It's funny, the things that enter your mind when you least expect."

"What do you mean?" Martha turns to the Doctor, wondering where this conversation is leading to.

"When I was trapped in that -- void, when I thought I'd never get out. I was thinking of 1969. Remember that, Martha?"

Martha nods, smiling at the memory, "That was -- an interesting time." The Doctor chuckles.

"Everything was going wrong, but I was so happy, being there with you."

She turns to him, mouth agape. In all their moments together Martha had a feeling that the Doctor was enjoying their time stuck in the past but he's never outright admitted it. Astonished, Martha asks, "You were? Even when we both thought that we'd be stuck there forever?"

The Doctor's grin fades and his voice softens so that Martha shifts closer to hear him.

"Forever. I promised Rose forever once, even though I knew I couldn't give it to her. I promised, because it made her happy."

He grasps Martha's left hand and gazes straight into her dark eyes as if looking away would cause him to drown.

"I won't do that to you. I can't. All I can promise is now; will you take it, Martha? Knowing the person that I am and the life that I lead? Knowing you can get hurt and it will all be my fault? Will you take me?"

The anguish in his voice breaks her heart. Martha steps forward and wipes away a tear rolling down his left cheek with her thumb. She remains silent for a while, afraid her voice might break into a sob and when it does, she won't be able to stop. Still cupping his cheek, she finally answers him.

"I already have, Doctor. Long before I even knew it myself. I know that we're different and I won't change anything about us. I'm a big girl; I know what you can give me and I'm okay with that. I choose this, now with you." Her right hand moves down to clasp his left, both cold and shaking.

"We travel in time and space, Doctor—we can have forever everyday of our lives."

"My brilliant Martha Jones. Thank you." Whatever good he has done in his lives to deserve this woman, he may never know, he daren't ask. Martha smiles up at her beloved Time Lord, both of them falling into the habit they can't shake.

"Don't mention it."

The Doctor leans over and gives Martha a deep, slow kiss. He explores her mouth eagerly with his tongue, the taste of coffee and chocolate overwhelming his senses. The Doctor reaches out and draws Martha closer, holding her tightly to him, feeling her body soften and mold into his own. A soft sigh escapes Martha's lips making his hearts race. He knows that he shouldn't do this, that their time together is short, and that this moment of intimacy won't last. Places to see, things to do, never stopping. But in this moment it's just him and her standing in the darkness, the stars their silent witnesses, and for once, time stops for the Doctor and his Companion.


End file.
